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Why did Hashem (ה׳) insist on giving us Eretz Yisrael rather than creating a new land for us? The shiur explores a Midrash that claims Hashem wanted to show His power by defeating our enemies. This creates an ongoing divine commitment to protect us in a hostile environment where the nations perceive us as thieves of their land.
The shiur analyzes a Midrash on Tehillim 111:6 that addresses why Hashem (ה׳) gave the Jewish people Eretz Yisrael specifically, rather than creating a new land for them. The Midrash states that Hashem said He could have created a new world for them, but chose to give them the land of the nations to demonstrate His power by defeating their enemies. Rabbi Zweig raises several difficulties with this Midrash. First, the Rambam (רמב"ם) in Hilchos Teshuvah teaches that miracles are never performed merely to show divine power - they must serve a purpose. Second, creating a new continent would seemingly be a greater demonstration of power than winning wars. Third, we had already defeated stronger enemies like Sichon and Og, so what additional power was being shown?
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Tehillim 111:6
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